New law keeps safety agencies’ FY 2024 budgets steady

Washington — OSHA’s budget will remain unchanged in fiscal year 2024, under new legislation signed into law March 23.

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 (H.R. 2882) allocates around $632.3 million to the agency. In a recent blog post, former OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab contends that, after factoring in inflation and a 5.2% federal pay raise for employees, it’s essentially a budget cut. 

“This is bad, but certainly not as bad as it could have been,” he adds.

The allocation is still more than what was initially proposed by both the Senate ($628.5 million) and House ($536.9 million). The Biden administration, in its budget proposal released in March 2023, sought $738.7 million for the agency for FY 2024, which concludes Sept. 30.

“The fiscal year 2024 process has not been easy,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a press release, “but I am proud of the legislation this hardworking committee has produced – two packages of 12 total individual bills that will fund important government programs, agencies and departments through the end of the fiscal year.”

The Mine Safety and Health Administration will receive $387.8 million in FY 2024 – unchanged from FY 2023. That matches the Senate’s proposed funding amount in its budget bill, while the House bill allocated around $325 million – a decrease of nearly $63 million, or about 16.2%. The White House proposed $437.8 million for the agency.

NIOSH will receive $362.8 million in FY 2024, the same amount it received in FY 2023. Again, that’s the amount the Senate proposed in its budget bill, while the House bill allocated $247.7 million – a 31.8% budget cut. The White House requested $362.8 million for the agency.

“When Democrats and Republicans work together, we can move America forward and invest in the programs that keep us safe and healthy,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a press release. “We must not repeat this year’s chaos in the 2025 funding process.”